Ely’s St Mary’s Street is renowned for its beautifully preserved historic buildings but below ground the cathedral city is heading straight for the 21st Century, with an upgrade to its gas network.
On Monday 23rd July, gas pipeline company National Grid will begin gas mains replacement work to ensure residents and businesses continue to enjoy a safe and reliable gas supply for decades to come.
The company will replace 197 metres of cast iron gas mains in St Mary’s Street, from the junction with Downham Road to the junction with High Street/Lynn Road. The iron mains will be replaced with brand new plastic pipes, which have a lifespan of at least 80 years if left undisturbed in the ground.
The work, which will be undertaken by Morrison Utility Services on behalf of National Grid, is expected to take six weeks and will be carried out in three phases, starting with an 80 metre stretch from the Downham Road junction, followed by a second span to the entrance with St Mary’s Car Park and a final stretch from St Mary’s Car Park to the High Street/Lynn Road junction.
To ensure the safety of engineers, motorists and other road users, sections of St Mary’s Road between Downham Road and High Street/Lynn Road will be reduced to a single lane while the works are underway, with temporary traffic lights in place to control traffic flows. Parking bays will also need to be temporarily suspended and will be restored as each section of works is completed.
National Grid Construction Engineer David Jewson said: “This work will mean local people can continue to benefit from a safe and reliable gas supply long into the future. We have worked with Cambridgeshire County Council to plan the works and the necessary traffic management measures and we will do our utmost to minimise disruption to local residents and motorists.
“To minimise disruption further, we are planning to use a state-of-the-art insertion technique, which will involve inserting the new plastic piping within the existing cast iron main. We apologise for any inconvenience these works may cause but we would appeal to people to bear with us while we complete this essential gas mains replacement project.”
The work is part of a multi-million pound package of improvements to the gas supply system in East Anglia and is an important element of a national mains renewal programme developed by National Grid in conjunction with the Health & Safety Executive.
For any queries about this project please call Morrison Utility Services on 01462 444940.
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